Tanned hides in Florence's leather marketplace

Historically it was Florentine soirees that helped develop the Italian school of fashion as distinct from French haute couture. One of Italy's oldest fashion names, Salvatore Ferragamo, is still housed in Florence but many of the big name Italian brands began in the city before branching to Milan. Gucci and Roberto Cavalli among them.

Outside the old city many textile factories continue this fashion tradition, but within the city's markets it's Florentine leatherwork that stands out from the pack. And it's around the square of Santa Croce that the handiwork of its leather-makers still runs strong.

Close to the Arno river, the abundant water was essential for many trades of the 13th century, including tanning, dying and soap-making. Streets around the piazza bear the name of these artisanal origins, such as Via dei Conciatori, Tanneries Lane, and Corso dei Tintori, Dyers Avenue.

In the Santa Croce monastery a leather-working school for orphaned boys was set up after World War II to help the boys gain employment skills. Centuries earlier the monastery itself used locally tanned hides to bind manuscripts for the church library.

The machinery has been updated and recipes adapted and modernised since Santa Croce's craftsmen first adopted their tanning techniques, but the traditional process of full vat dying is still central to Florentine practice and sets this city's leather apart. Florence leather is exported to all corners of the globe and plays a key role in modern fashion, yet it is amongst Florence's markets that the exquisite craftsmanship is best appreciated and selected.

In the markets of San Lorenzo or the stalls of the Mercato Nuovo, jackets, pants, purses, travel wares, handbags, wallets, briefcases, belts, desk sets, jewellery cases, portfolios and every other leather accessory, gilded, coloured or simply natural, are all on display to the discerning eye. Many stall holders have shops nearby but the prices in the market are generally cheaper and the experience is a tantalisingly sensory one.

Il Porcellino, the piglet, is a bronze statue that watches over the central marketplace of Florence. Visitors toss a coin between his feet and rub his now-polished nose to ensure their return to the city. It's an ephemeral act and a dream-style wish but the leather products of Florence's markets are something very tangible and well worth returning to.